Object Details
maker
John Deere
Description
John Deere failed as a blacksmith in Vermont but succeeded as an agricultural tool manufacturer in Illinois. His company built revolutionary plows like this early 1838 example. The steel blades of Deere plows slid more easily through sticky prairie soil and made farmers more efficient. John and his son Charles expanded the company through clever marketing and financial acumen making Deere & Company the largest plow manufacturer in the world. The company continue to expand making everything from tractors to combines, from mechanical cotton harvesters to riding lawnmowers.
Credit Line
Gift of Deere and Company, 1938
Date made
1838
ID Number
AG.38A04
catalog number
38A04
F001111
accession number
148904
Object Name
plow
Physical Description
wood (part: material)
iron (part: material)
steel (part: material)
Measurements
overall: 380 mm x 460 mm x 1230 mm; 14 15/16 in x 18 1/8 in x 48 7/16 in
Place Made
United States: Illinois, Grand Detour
Related Publication
Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
See more items in
Work and Industry: Agriculture
National Treasures exhibit
Agriculture
Artifact Walls exhibit
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_857013